College Art Association Board President Jim Hopfensperger and Executive Director/CEO Hunter O’Hanian announced last Friday to staff and internal constituents that O’Hanian will be leaving CAA upon conclusion of his current three-year contract in June.

During his time as executive director, O’Hanian oversaw numerous organizational changes including a successful rebranding, a streamlining of membership structures, and improvements to staffing and financial reporting. In addition, he supervised significant changes to programs including increases to the number of CAA Annual Conference sessions and awards, renewed engagement with CAA Affiliated Societies, a new contract with CAA’s co-publisher (Routledge, Taylor & Francis), and plans for launching year-round programs.

“Hunter has led CAA with great intelligence, empathy, energy, and passion, and the association has enjoyed many successes these past three years,” said Hopfensperger. “In particular, the board of directors is grateful for his commitment to diversity and inclusion, and his efforts to better position CAA for success as both a learned society and a professional association.”

“For me, it’s been an exciting and fulfilling experience,” said O’Hanian. “I have enjoyed meeting and working with the members, staff and board, while strengthening our programs. Making change is never easy, especially for an association with an 107-year history. But I could not be prouder of the staff at CAA, the board of directors, the committees and editorial boards, and the members of this organization for their work ethic and feedback. I believe we have made a stronger association.”

As O’Hanian concludes his service, the board of directors will begin a search for its next executive director this spring with the hopes of bringing on a new leader by year’s end. In addition, an announcement concerning plans for interim leadership through the transition will be forthcoming.

CAA invites nominations and self-nominations for the Annual Conference Chair. This at-large member of the Annual Conference Committee serves a two-year term, beginning February 2020, immediately following the 108th Annual Conference. The Annual Conference Chair Designate shall begin their orientation to the role in May 2019. They will be invited to meetings of the Annual Conference Committee as a non-voting ex officio member at that time.

The Chair oversees the Council of Readers and reports back to the Annual Conference Committee on session topics, including identifying possible areas of content and interest to members that are missing from the submissions received. With CAA staff, the Chair recruits Council of Readers members to read, review, and rank proposals. The Chair shapes the content to the Annual Conference from the submissions as reported back by the Council.

Deadline: April 29, 2019

As a member of the Annual Conference Committee the Chair:

Works with CAA staff and oversees the execution of the overall goals of the conference

Ensures that the Annual Conference reflects the goals of the Association

Makes the Annual Conference an effective place for intellectual, aesthetic, and professional learning and exchange

The Annual Conference Committee meets three times a year: February – in person at the Annual Conference to examine and discuss the operational aspects of the conference which recently concluded and ideas for the upcoming conference; May/June – on a conference call to review the recommendations by the Council of Readers for the upcoming Annual Conference; October – on a conference call to review final plans and any existing changes for the Annual Conference up to two years out.

Please send a 150-word letter of interest and a CV to Mira Friedlaender, CAA Manager of Annual Conference. Deadline: April 29, 2019.

Attendees at the 2019 Annual Conference in New York. Photo: Ben Fractenberg

Beginning this year, we are pleased to announce a new opportunity to help shape Annual Conference session content. In preparation for the 2020 Annual Conference in Chicago, the Annual Conference Committee will appoint a Council of Readers to read proposals submitted by CAA members and serve a crucial role in the review process.

The Council will be tasked with reading proposals within their specialty and will provide the knowledge and expertise of their fields to help shape the conference.

Requirements for Readers

Current CAA membership

Time commitment to read and review up to 60 proposals online in May 2019. Proposal lengths range from a single 250-word abstract to a complete session with multiple presentation abstracts totaling, for example, 1000 words. Readers will review no more than 60 proposals each.

Review Process

The Council of Readers is group of 50 to 75 CAA members from Professional Committees, Affiliated Societies, and general membership overseen by the Annual Conference Committee chair.

Readers will be asked to review proposals matched to their areas of interest or specialty. Readers with broad areas of interest are encouraged to participate.

The proposals will be distributed in the first week of May and must be completed by May 31.

Each proposal is read and reviewed in the online portal by three different Council members.

Each member of the Council of Readers reviews no more than 60 proposals.

Proposal lengths range from a single 250-word abstract to a complete session with multiple presentation abstracts totaling, for example, 1000 words. For CAA 2019 the Committee reviewed over 1500 abstracts.

For each proposal, readers will use a scale of 1-5 to answer five questions and also enter a short comment for the Annual Conference Committee’s review.

2020 Readers will each access abstracts to review in our online system, with orientation and support from the Annual Conference Committee and CAA staff members.

Members of the Council of Readers serve a three-year term on a rotation so that each year, one third of the council is new.

Review is independent; the Council of Readers does not meet together in-person or electronically.

After proposals are read and reviewed by the Council, the chair reports to the Annual Conference Committee on session topics, including identifying possible areas of content that are missing from the submissions received.

The chair shapes the conference content based on the reviewed submissions.

CAA invites nominations and self-nominations for two individuals to serve on the TheArt Bulletin Editorial Board for a four-year term, July 1, 2019–June 30, 2023. The ideal candidate has published substantially in the field and may be an academic, museum-based, or independent scholar; institutional affiliation is not required. The Art Bulletin features leading scholarship in the English language in all aspects of art history as practiced in the academy, museums, and other institutions.

The editorial board advises The Art Bulletin editor-in-chief and assists by seeking authors, articles, and other content for the journal; performs peer review and recommends peer reviewers; may propose new initiatives for the journal; and may support fundraising efforts on the journal’s behalf. Members also assist the editor-in-chief to keep abreast of trends and issues in the field by attending and reporting on sessions at the CAA Annual Conference and other academic conferences, symposia, and events in their fields.

The Art Bulletin Editorial Board meets three times a year, with meetings in the spring and fall plus one at the CAA Annual Conference in February. The spring and fall meetings are currently held by teleconference, but at a later date CAA may reimburse members for travel and lodging expenses for New York meetings in accordance with its travel policy. Members pay travel and lodging expenses to attend the conference in February. Members of all editorial boards volunteer their services to CAA without compensation.

Candidates must be current CAA members in good standing and should not be serving on the editorial board of a competitive journal. Members may not publish their own work in the journal during the term of service. CAA encourages applications from colleagues who will contribute to the diversity of perspectives on TheArt Bulletin Editorial Board and who will engage actively with conversations about the discipline’s engagements with differences of culture, religion, nationality, race, gender, sexuality, and access. Nominators should ascertain their nominee’s willingness to serve before submitting a name; self-nominations are also welcome. Please send a letter describing your interest in and qualifications for appointment, a CV, and your contact information to: Chair, The Art Bulletin Editorial Board, College Art Association, 50 Broadway, 21st floor, New York, NY 10004; or email the documents or inquiries to Joan Strasbaugh, CAA publications and program editor, at jstrasbaugh@collegeart.org.

caa.reviews Seeks Editor-in-Chief

The caa.reviews Editorial Board invites nominations and self-nominations for the position of Editor-in-Chief for a three-year term, July 1, 2020–June 30, 2023. This term is preceded by one year of service on the editorial board as editor designate, July 1, 2019–June 30, 2020, and followed immediately by one year of service as past editor. Candidates should have published substantially in the field and may be academic, museum-based, or independent scholars; institutional affiliation is not required. An online journal, caa.reviewsis devoted to the peer review of new books, museum exhibitions, and projects relevant to the fields of art history, visual studies, and the arts.

Working with the editorial board, the editor-in-chief is responsible for the content and character of the journal. The editor-in-chief supervises the caa.reviews Council of Field Editors, assisting them in identifying and soliciting reviewers, articles, and other content for the journal; develops projects; and makes final decisions regarding content.

The editor-in-chief attends the caa.reviews Editorial Board’s three meetings each year—held in New York in May and October and once at the Annual Conference in February—and submits an annual report to CAA’s Board of Directors. CAA reimburses the editor-in-chief for travel and lodging expenses for the two New York meetings in accordance with its travel policy, but the person in this position pays these expenses to attend the conference. The editor-in-chief also works closely with the CAA staff in New York and receives an annual honorarium paid quarterly.

Candidates must be current CAA members and should not be serving on the editorial board of a competitive journal or on another CAA editorial board or committee. Nominators should ascertain their nominee’s willingness to serve before submitting a name; self-nominations are also welcome. Please send a letter describing your interest in and qualifications for appointment, a CV, at least one letter of recommendation, and your contact information to: caa.reviews Editor-in-Chief Search, CAA, 50 Broadway, 21st Floor, New York, NY, 10004; or email the documents to Publications and Programs Editor Joan Strasbaugh, jstrasbaugh@collegeart.org. Deadline: April 1, 2019; finalists will be interviewed in early May.

caa.reviews Seeks Four Field Editors

In addition, CAA invites nominations and self-nominations for FOUR individuals to join the caa.reviews Council of Field Editors for a three-year term July 1, 2019–June 30, 2022. An online journal, caa.reviews is devoted to the peer review of new books, museum exhibitions, and projects relevant to art history, visual studies, and the arts.

The journal seeks four field editors in the following areas:

Design History

Eighteenth-Century Art

Architecture and Urbanism

Theory and Historiography

Working with the caa.reviews editor-in-chief, the caa.reviews Editorial Board, and CAA’s staff editor, each field editor selects content to be reviewed, commissions reviewers, and considers manuscripts for publication. Field editors for books are expected to keep abreast of newly published and important books and related media in their fields of expertise, and those for exhibitions should be aware of current and upcoming exhibitions (and other related projects) in their geographic regions.

The Council of Field Editors meets yearly at the CAA Annual Conference. Field editors must pay travel and lodging expenses to attend the conference. Members of all CAA committees and editorial boards volunteer their services without compensation.

Candidates must be current CAA members and should not be serving on the editorial board of a competitive journal or on another CAA editorial board or committee. Nominators should ascertain their nominee’s willingness to serve before submitting a name; self-nominations are also welcome. Please send a cover letter describing your interest in and qualifications for appointment, a CV, and your contact information to: caa.reviews Editorial Board, CAA, 50 Broadway, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10004; or email the documents to staff editor Joan Strasbaugh, jstrasbaugh@collegeart.org. Deadline: April 15, 2019.

TheArt Journal Editorial Board invites nominations and self-nominations for the position of editor-in-chief of Art Journal Open for the term of July 1, 2020–June 30, 2023 (with service as incoming editor designate, July 1, 2019–June 30, 2020). A candidate may be an artist, art historian, critic, educator, curator, or other professional within the membership served by CAA; institutional affiliation is not required. Art Journal Open is an online forum for the visual arts that presents artists’ projects, conversations and interviews, scholarly essays, and other content from across the cultural field. The independently edited journal publishes original material by artists, scholars, teachers, archivists, curators, critics, and other cultural producers and commentators, with a commitment to foster new intellectual exchanges about contemporary art and culture. Art Journal Open prioritizes material that makes meaningful use of the web, such as multimedia formats and techniques, and is published on a continual, rolling basis.

The editor is responsible for commissioning all content for Art Journal Open. He or she solicits or commissions projects, texts, and time-based content by artists and other authors, and determines the appropriate scope and format of each project. Working in consultation with the Art Journal editor-in-chief, reviews editor, and editorial board, the editor determines which pieces should undergo peer review and subsequent revision before acceptance. The editor also works with authors and a CAA staff editor on the development and preparation of materials for publication. The editorial board expects that a significant portion of the journal will be geared to work or concerns of artists, and that the editor will endeavor to give voice to underrepresented perspectives. Qualifications for the position include a broad knowledge of current art, the ability to work closely with artists in a wide variety of practices, and experience in developing written and other content for arts platforms. The position includes membership on the editorial board and, after the orientation period, an annual honorarium, paid quarterly for the three years the of the editorship. The editor attends the three meetings each year of the Art Journal Editorial Board and, as an ex-officio member, of the Publications Committee—held in New York or by teleconference in the spring and fall, and at the CAA Annual Conference in February—and submits an annual report to CAA’s Board of Directors.

Candidates must be current CAA members and should not serve concurrently on the editorial board of a competitive journal or on another CAA editorial board or committee. The editor-in-chief may not publish her or his own work on Art Journal Open or in Art Journal during the term of service. Nominators should ascertain a nominee’s willingness to serve before submitting a name; self-nominations are also welcome. Please send a letter describing your interest in and qualifications for the position, a CV, and at least one letter of recommendation to: Art JournalOpen Editor Search, CAA, 50 Broadway, 21st floor, New York, NY 10004; or email the documents to Heather Holmes (hholmes@collegeart.org), CAA Associate Editor for Digital Publications.

Deadline: April 1, 2019; finalists will be interviewed on May 2 in New York.

CAA has operated its Affiliated Societies program since the 1970s. Affiliated Societies are learned societies focused on particular areas of art history, art making, or design. We presently have 77 societies who are active members of the program. A complete list of current members appears here.

Affiliated Societies enhance CAA by creating Annual Conference sessions on their specific areas of expertise within the larger domains of art history, design, and the visual arts. For our upcoming annual conference in New York City in February 2019, 77% of the Affiliated Societies will be presenting sessions.

In exchange for a modest annual membership fee, Affiliated Societies receive the following benefits:

• listing in CAA’s Online Directory of Affiliated Societies
• a guaranteed session at the Annual Conference
• a room in which to conduct a business meeting at the Annual Conference
• promotional opportunities in the Affiliated Society section of CAA News
• use of the CAA-administered listserv for outreach to their other societies
• use of a Humanities Commons Group for social networking

We are looking to grow the program and add other societies.

If you would like to learn more about the program you can click here to see if your organization is eligible. The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors will be reviewing new applications at its meeting in February 2019. If you want to be considered for to be part of the program, your materials would need to be completed by December 22, 2018.

If you have any questions, please reach out directly to our executive director Hunter O’Hanian: hohanian@collegeart.org

CAA is committed to supporting all professionals in the field. This especially pertains to those who are applying for and working as part-time faculty members. For more than twenty years, CAA has been setting standards for hiring part-time faculty.

CAA’s current guidelines are published here and copied below. We want to hear from members about how these might be updated and strengthened.

CAA Guidelines for Part-Time Professional Employment

Part-time employees play a critical role within the art world, specifically in academia, museums, galleries, and other arts institutions. They help meet curricular demands, offer expertise in specialized areas, and/or provide leadership in institutional programming.

Part-time faculty may be referred to with the following terms: adjunct, temporary, lecturer, graduate assistant, and teaching assistant. The terminology and its implications may vary from institution to institution, with the designation “part-time” or “temporary” serving as the most general and therefore consistent names. While this standard is primarily concerned with addressing the conditions of fully credentialed and professionalized part-time or short-term employees who are not simultaneously graduate students, this guideline may be relevant to those employed in conjunction with their graduate studies.

Part-time/temporary faculty and other part-time/temporary employees may be understood to be of several types: Part-time/temporary employees who would prefer full-time positions, part-time/temporary employees with no other employment, part-time employees who teach/work in addition to other full-time employment, and part-time/temporary employees who are retirees. Additionally, some institutions have paid, professional visitors that are not ongoing, full-time employees and also are not recurring, part-time employees. With this in mind, it is acknowledged that there is no singular reason one seeks part-time employment, and while each person may have individual reasons and needs, CAA encourages institutions to chart a path of continual improvements and aspire to provide the best possible working conditions for all part-time/temporary professionals, especially given the increasing reliance on such professionals.

Among key areas of concern are: equitable compensation; employment stability; access to employee benefits, including health care; access to professional development; and safe and adequate working conditions.

Within academia, these areas of concern may be assessed and addressed by comparing part-time faculty roles against full-time tenured/tenure-track faculty roles. Where similar work is performed and similar institutional expectations are held, equitable compensation and resources should exist. Where the treatment of employees in full- and part-time categories is dissimilar, the differences in expectations/compensation and the reasons for those differences should be articulated to both groups.

Institutions that regularly have visiting or guest faculty or curators should define how such roles are similar and different from other full-time and part-time employee roles. If the visiting appointment has responsibilities most similar to a comparable full-time position, the compensation should resemble such a full-time position.

Certain rights and responsibilities should be consistent regardless of one’s employment category. For example, academic freedom should provide the same protections for all. So too should workers’ compensation and other applicable laws that offer employee safeguards.

Working Conditions for Part-Time Employees

Given the great range of mission and expectations in institutions, it is essential that institutions define the roles of part-time employees and provide them with this information as well as information on their workplaces.

The following written information should be provided by the institution at the time of employment.

Institutions with a significant number of part-time employees may wish to create and use a part-time employee handbook.

Statement on the institutional/departmental mission or philosophy

A full description of the part-time position, including a definition of the role and duties (in the case of faculty, this would include class title, description, size, contact hours, advising responsibilities, and any other responsibilities)

Description of teaching facilities, office facilities, and support services

In the case of art and design faculty, description of and access to studio facilities or teaching and for personal, professional development

Description of financial support and resources available for performing the work and for personal, professional development

Information on evaluation and promotion procedures

Information on employment security

Information on institutional governance and opportunities to participate in it

Information on any and all institutional expectations

A written contract for part-time employment should explicitly state the following:

Compensation including salary, benefits, and any other compensation

Duties and responsibilities

Duration of employment

Process and timing of evaluation

Availability and timing of contract renewal

For part-time/temporary faculty:The standards of excellence defined by visual arts programs should be founded upon realistic criteria

Generally, part-time/temporary faculty do not have research/creative activity duties; if such expectations exist they should be stated in the contract and the faculty member compensated for them

Part-time/temporary faculty may or may not have service obligations; if service duties are assigned, the faculty member should be compensated for them

Institutional expectations should take into consideration changes in academia, the commercial
marketplace, and the discipline in question

Whenever possible, faculty should be included in the design of the course taught

If a course is to be canceled due to under-enrollment or another issue, the faculty member should be notified in a timely manner; if it is canceled at the last minute, the faculty member should be compensated, either in full or on a pro-rated basis for course preparation

Part-time faculty should have access to private (or shared with the expectation
of privacy when needed) office space for student/teacher meetings

If a part-time faculty member’s institutional contribution is equivalent to that of a full-time faculty member, the part-time faculty member should be equitably compensated in comparison to such a full-time faculty member. If there is no expectation for research or service, differential compensation may be significant. This should be clearly stated in contractual materials.

For all part-time employees:

Personal and environmental safety should be a major concern with adequate protection provided by the employer

OSHA, EPA, and other relevant standards should be followed

Institutional practices for ensuring safety should be clearly communicated

Opportunities for advancement in rank, salary, and responsibilities should be given to recurring, part-time employees.

Adequate administrative support should be provided: mailbox; office space; telephone and computer access; clerical support; library facilities; and teaching/research support such as assistants and/or graders, when warranted

When additional duties are offered or assigned, and such duties are ones often performed by full-time employees and go beyond the regular scope of part-time employment, the part-time employee should be offered additional and adequate compensation, such as a stipend

The 2013 ad-hoc committee for revision was co-chaired by Thomas Berding, Michigan State University and John Richardson, Wayne State University. The committee included Janet Casey, Skidmore College; Zoe Darling, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design; Jim Hopfensperger, Western Michigan University; David LaPalombara, Ohio University; Dennis Nawrocki, Wayne State University; and Kate Wagle, University of Oregon.

Recent years have seen a boom in the creation of new art by Indigenous artists across North America—and a concomitant surge in scholarship about this art. The recently published issue of Art Journal is devoted to both the art and the research. In addressing the theme “Indigenous Futures,” editor-in-chief Rebecca M. Brown turned to the scholars Kate Morris and Bill Anthes as guest editors.

Works by dozens of Indigenous artists are featured in the issue, among them Kay WalkingStick, Kent Monkman, Shan Goshorn, Rebecca Belmore, Cheryl L’Hirondelle, Will Wilson, and Edgar Heap of Birds. The artist collective Postcommodity created a project for the issue that includes the covers. Two artists wrote substantial texts: Jolene Rickard explores the theme of sovereignty in Indigenous art, while Marie Watt enjoys a frank chat with Joseph Beuys’s Coyote—who is amazingly au courant about today’s art.

In addition to Morris and Anthes, the scholars Jessica L. Horton, Dylan Robinson, and Sherry Farrell Racette provide insights into bodies of work by specific artists. A strong curatorial thread runs through the issue as well, with essays by Candice Hopkins and Heather Igloliorte; a magisterial essay by the curators Kathleen Ash-Milby and Ruth B. Phillips traces the history of critical exhibitions in North American museums and galleries since 1992, the year of the controversial “celebration” of the Columbus quincentennial.

The Reviews section of the issue features a 2015 book by W. J. T. Mitchell (reviewed by Caroline A. Jones), a substantial anthology on the postwar avant-garde in Scandinavia (by Karen Kurczynski), the exhibition and catalogue of Hélio Oiticica: To Organize Delirium (by Camila Maroja), a multiauthor and -artist volume on the Indian city of Chandigarh (by Tracy Bonfitto), and the exhibition and catalogue of Leap Before You Look: Black Mountain College 1933–1957 (by Erica DiBenedetto).

CAA sends print copies of Art Journal to all institutional members and to those individuals who choose to receive the journal as a benefit of membership. The digital version at Taylor & Francis Online is currently available to all CAA individual members regardless of their print subscription choice.

October 2 (PhD candidates) and November 10 (MFA candidates) are the deadlines for the CAA Professional-Development Fellowships. The program supports promising artists, designers, craftspeople, historians, curators, and critics who are enrolled in MFA, PhD, and other terminal-degree programs nationwide.

Fellows are honored with $10,000 grants to support their work, whether it be for job-search expenses or purchasing materials for the studio.

“I remember sitting in my graduate school studio applying for the award. I was day-dreaming about how it could help me be a self-sustaining artist and maybe start my career in teaching. A few months later I received notification of the award and I’m happy to say the grant has helped me enormously with both of my day-dreams, artistic and academic. CAA’s Professional-Development Fellowship for Visual Artists has stabilized a shaky phase of my career and life, continuing an artistic practice after graduate school. The award funds helped me to kick-start my studio space, travel for photography research, and secure teaching positions right out of graduate school. CAA’s support of developing visual artists is certainly outstanding and to an even greater extent, appreciated. I’m happy to now be a CAA member and encourage others to apply for the fellowship without hesitation.” —Daniel Kraus, 2016 Professional-Development Fellowship Recipient

One award will be presented to a practitioner—an artist, designer, and/or craftsperson—and one award will be presented to an art, architecture, and/or design historian, curator, or critic. Fellows also receive a free one-year CAA membership and complimentary registration to the 2018 Annual Conference in Los Angeles, February 21-24. Honorable mentions, given at the discretion of the jury, also earn a free one-year CAA membership and complimentary conference registration.

CAA initiated its fellowship program in 1993 to help student artists and art historians bridge the gap between their graduate studies and professional careers.